Peek Inside This Minimal Eco-Friendly House In Hawaii

More and more, people are choosing to live, build and decorate by the mantra "less is more." One of the more recent and coolest examples of minimalism is the LifeEdited house, designed by Treehugger founder, Graham Hill.

Created with simplicity and sustainability in mind, the hillside haven is located on the Hawaiian island of Maui in the Haiki community. LifeEdited Maui is Hill's response to his own architectural challenge of building a minimalist sustainable home that's suitable for a family. According to the specs and the extreme attention to detail applied to the entire construction process, the final product more than meets Hill's eco-friendly criteria.

For starters, the self-sustaining structure uses solar panels and is equipped with a built-in filtration system that collects and purifies water. Hill collaborated with the area firm Hawaii Off-Grid to ensure that the entire project remained as environmentally responsible as possible. Standout examples of this nature-friendly handiwork are evident in the foundation, which is comprised of steel rods that can be extracted from the ground and recycled; also, the home features water-less sanitation system in the form of dry toilets that help to keep the surrounding soil healthy.

Inside the home, there's anti-fungal paint to absorb toxins from the air, counter tops crafted from recyclable paper and space-saving cookware. The garage functions as the home's energy hub and is also equipped to charge Hill's electric vehicle.

As far as building a green home on a budget, Hill says that it's totally possible to do, explaining to Cool Hunting that, "You get the money back quickly on energy savings."

"Buildings are a huge part of our [global] footprint. The technology is here now—like you can see it in super-insulated passive houses," Hill explains. "We can make a difference now, especially in tropical environments where there is a lot of sun. We just need people to do it."